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Find
some delicious recipies for this festive season
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The
History of Christmas
Today's Christian Woman Magazine
The history of Christmas dates back over
4000 years. Many of our Christmas traditions
were celebrated centuries before the Christ
child was born. The 12 days of Christmas,
the bright fires, the yule log, the giving
of gifts, carnivals(parades) with floats,
carolers who sing while going from house
to house, the holiday feasts, and the church
processions can all be traced back to the
early Mesopotamians.
Many of these traditions began with the
Mesopotamian celebration of New Years. The
Mesopotamians believed in many gods, and
as their chief god - Marduk. Each year as
winter arrived it was believed that Marduk
would do battle with the monsters of chaos.
To assist Marduk in his struggle the Mesopotamians
held a festival for the New Year. This was
Zagmuk, the New Year's festival that lasted
for 12 days.
The
Mesopotamian king would return to the
temple of Marduk and swear his faithfulness
to the god. The traditions called for
the king to die at the end of the year
and to return with Marduk to battle at
his side.
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To
spare their king, the Mesopotamians
used the idea of a "mock"
king. A criminal was chosen and dressed
in royal clothes. He was given all
the respect and privileges of a real
king. At the end of the celebration
the "mock" king was stripped
of the royal clothes and slain, sparing
the life of the real king. The
Persians and the Babylonians celebrated
a similar festival called the Sacaea.
Part of that celebration included
the exchanging of places, the slaves
would become the masters and the masters
were to obey.
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Early
Europeans believed in evil spirits, witches,
ghosts and trolls. As the Winter Solstice
approached, with its long cold nights
and short days, many people feared the
sun would not return. Special rituals
and celebrations were held to welcome
back the sun.
In
Scandinavia during the winter months the
sun would disappear for many days. After
thirty-five days scouts would be sent
to the mountain tops to look for the return
of the sun. When the first light was seen
the scouts would return with the good
news. A great festival would be held,
called the Yuletide, and a special feast
would be served around a fire burning
with the Yule log. Great bonfires would
also be lit to celebrate the return of
the sun. In some areas people would tie
apples to branches of trees to remind
themselves that spring and summer would
return.
The
ancient Greeks held a festival similar
to that of the Zagmuk/Sacaea festivals
to assist their god Kronos who would battle
the god Zeus and his Titans.
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The
Roman's celebrated their god Saturn. Their festival
was called Saturnalia which began the middle
of December and ended January 1st. With cries
of "Jo Saturnalia!" the celebration
would include masquerades in the streets, big
festive meals, visiting friends, and the exchange
of good-luck gifts called Strenae (lucky fruits).
The
Romans decked their halls with garlands of laurel
and green trees lit with candles. Again the
masters and slaves would exchange places.
"Jo
Saturnalia!" was a fun and festive time
for the Romans, but the Christians though it
an abomination to honor the pagan god. The early
Christians wanted to keep the birthday of their
Christ child a solemn and religious holiday,
not one of cheer and merriment as was the pagan
Saturnalia.
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But
as Christianity spread they were alarmed
by the continuing celebration of pagan
customs and Saturnalia among their converts.
At first the Church forbid this kind of
celebration. But it was to no avail. Eventually
it was decided that the celebration would
be tamed and made into a celebration fit
for the Christian Son of God.
Some
legends claim that the Christian "Christmas"
celebration was invented to compete against
the pagan celebrations of December. The
25th was not only sacred to the Romans
but also the Persians whose religion Mithraism
was one of Christianity's main rivals
at that time. The Church eventually was
successful in taking the merriment, lights,
and gifts from the Saturanilia festival
and bringing them to the celebration of
Christmas.
The
exact day of the Christ child's birth
has never been pinpointed. Traditions
say that it has been celebrated since
the year 98 AD. In 137 AD the Bishop of
Rome ordered the birthday of the Christ
Child celebrated as a solemn feast. In
350 AD another Bishop of Rome, Julius
I, choose December 25th as the observance
of Christmas.
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The Story of Christmas and the Christ
Child
Catholic Digest Magazine
| Christian History Magazine
| Christianity Today Magazine
When Rome was a great Empire ruled by
Caesar Augustus and Israel was governed
by King Herod, in the village of Nazareth
lived Joseph and Mary. Joseph was a carpenter
and Mary was a young virgin who would
become his wife. Mary told Joseph of a
dream in which she was visited by an angel
who told her she had been chosen to bear
the Son of God and his name was to be
Jesus.
One day the emperor sent notice that all
persons were to register for a new tax.
They were instructed to return to the
towns of their birth. Joseph and Mary
left Nazareth for Bethlehem. Mary who
was with child, and close to the birth,
rode on a donkey while Joseph walked beside
her. They traveled for many days and only
rested at night.
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When
they reached Bethlehem it was night.
They looked for a place to rest
but there were no empty rooms when
they reached the inn. As they were
being turned away Joseph mentioned
his wife was with child and close
to birth. The inn keeper took pity
on them and told them of some caves
in the nearby hills that shepherds
would stay with their cows and sheep.So
Joseph and Mary went up into the
hills and found the caves. In one
cave was a stable room. Joseph cleaned
it and made beds of fresh hay. He
found a feeding trough which he
cleaned and filled with hay to use
as a crib. The next night Mary gave
birth to a son and they named him
Jesus, as the angel had said.
When
the child was born a great star
appeared over Bethlehem that could
be seen for miles around. In the
fields nearby shepards were tending
their flocks. An angel appeared
to them surrounded by bright light.
The shepherds were frightened and
tried to run.
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The Christmas Tree
A beautifully decorated evergreen tree,
with colored lights ablaze inspires in
many warm memories of Christmases long
past. The Christmas tree has become one
of the most beloved and well know holiday
symbols.
The tradition of a holiday tree has been
around since ancient times and has played
an important part in winter celebrations
for many centuries. Many pagan festivals
used trees when honoring their gods and
spirits. In Northern Europe the Vikings
considered the evergreen a symbol and
reminder that the darkness and cold of
winter would end and the green of spring
would return. The Druids of ancient England
and France decorated oak trees with fruit
and candles to honor their gods of harvests.
At the festival Saturnalia the Romans
decorated trees with trinkets and candles.
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There
have also been many legends surrounding
the lore of the Christmas tree. In one
story Saint Boniface, an English monk,
came upon a group of pagans who had gathered
around an oak tree and were preparing
to sacrifice a child. To stop the sacrifice
and save the child, the Saint flattened
the oak tree with one blow of his fist.
A small fir sprang up in its place, which
Saint Boniface told the pagans was the
Tree of Life and represented the life
of Christ. Another legend tells of Martin
Luther, the founder of the Protestant
religion, walking through the woods late
one night.
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As
it was clear, many stars were shining through
the branches of the trees giving the impression
of twinkling lights. Luther was so inspired
by the beauty of the sight that he cut down
a small evergreen and brought it home. He
recreated the stars by putting candles on
the tree's branches.
The
use of a Christmas tree indoors appears
to have begun in Germany. German Christians
would bring trees into their homes to decorate.
In some areas evergreen trees were scarce
so the families would build a Christmas
pyramid, simple wooden structures which
they decorated with branches and candles.
The
tradition of the Christmas tree eventually
spread through out Europe. The English Royalty
help popularize the tree in England by decorating
the first Christmas tree at Windsor Castle
in 1841. Prince Albert, husband of Queen
Victoria, decorated the first English Christmas
Tree with candles, candies, fruits, and
gingerbread.
When
the German immigrants went to American they
also brought along their Christmas trees.
In the 1830's most Americans still considered
the Christmas tree an oddity. One of the
first public displays of a Christmas tree
was set up by German Settlers in Pennsylvania.
At the time many still considered the tree
to be a symbol of pagans and it wasn't until
the late 1800's that Americans began accepting
the Christmas tree.
Early
Christmas trees were often decorated with
apples, nuts, cookies, colored popcorn and
candles. The invention of electricity in
the early 20th century and use of electrical
Christmas lights helped spread the use of
the Christmas tree.
It
is now common in most communities through
out the US to feature public displays of
Christmas trees. Every year the President
of the United States lights the National
Christmas Tree in Washington and in New
York skaters spin beneath the lighted tree
of Rockefeller Center. Through Europe and
the rest of the world the Christmas tree
has also become readily accepted and adored.
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Christmas in Goa
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